What does future hold for Klug?

There was a chicken or the egg-style question surrounding the play of Titans defensive tackle Karl Klug last year: Was his drop in production the result of getting less playing time, or was his getting less playing time the result of a drop in production?

Either way, Klug saw his numbers take a noticeable decline in 2012 after a strong rookie season.

In 2011, Klug piled up seven sacks, 10 quarterback pressures, 32 tackles and two forced fumbles. But in his sophomore season, Klug fell behind defensive tackle Mike Martin on the team’s depth chart. He was on the field for just 22 percent of the Titans’ defensive snaps in 2012, managing 3.5 sacks, five quarterback pressures, 12 tackles and zero forced fumbles.

All of which leads to a bigger question for Klug: What lies ahead for him here, considering the fact the Titans are now arguably deeper at defensive tackle than they were last year?

While it’s true that Sen’Derrick Marks (signed by Jacksonville) no longer figures in the Titans’ defensive tackle mix, the team has added a pair of beefy free-agent acquisitions in 6-4, 329-pound Sammie Hill and 6-3, 310-pound Antonio Johnson. Also still on the roster are 6-4, 310-pound DaJohn Harris and 6-2, 299-pound Zach Clayton.

The goal of the Titans during the offseason clearly seems to have been getting bigger in the middle, which may not bode well for the 6-3 Klug, who weighs in at a relatively light 275 pounds.

Does that mean Klug gets a longer look at defensive end as opposed to defensive tackle?

It’s certainly a possibility, though the argument against that in the past was that Klug’s skill set (good hands and leverage, but not particularly speedy) was better suited to playing tackle than end.

And even if Klug does move wide, there’s good depth at that spot as well, with Derrick Morgan, Kamerion Wimbley, Ropati Pitoitua, Scott Solomon and rookie Lavar Edwards ready to compete for time in the rotation.

So the bottom line appears to be that Klug — who led the Titans in sacks in 2011 (and finished tied for sixth among all NFL rookies) — may find himself battling just to keep a roster spot in 2013.